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Council news > Press Releases > City school gets good marks in inspection report

City school gets good marks in inspection report

07/02/14

The Holy Family School in Aberdeen has received a good report following an inspection by Education Scotland.

During their visit in December 2013inspectors spoke to parents and children and worked closely with the headteacher and school staff.

Inspectors found the following key strengths:

happy, articulate and enthusiastic children, who are keen to learn and who value the rich opportunities in their school;

active approaches to literacy and enterprise which are engaging children and raising attainment;

partnerships with parents, the church, other schools and the wider community which enhance children's learning;

the headteacher's strong leadership and engagement of staff in creating an ethos of inclusion and achievement.

The report notes that the children are developing a good understanding of the needs of others through the fundraising activities for charities such as Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund and Macmillan Cancer Support.

The school has received national recognition for its achievements including a Bronze Primary Science Quality Award and being a finalist in the Scottish Education Awards for its enterprise work.

The pupils, with support from an international oil company and its contractors, have designed a kitchen for their school. As a celebration of diversity, parents are being encouraged to help children create dishes from around the world which will be cooked in the kitchen. The school also hopes to publish a cookbook featuring all the recipes.

Inspectors discussed with senior school staff and quality improvement officers from Aberdeen City Council how they could continue to improve the school. It was agreed that staff should:

continue to develop the curriculum further using Curriculum for Excellence, to ensure that children develop and are able to apply an appropriate range of skills;

increase pace and challenge in classes to ensure consistently high-quality learning experiences for children across the school;

continue with plans to develop personal profiles to demonstrate children's progress and achievements.

As a result there will be no further visits to the school in connection with this inspection.

Aberdeen City Council's Director of Education, Culture and Sport Gayle Gorman said: "This is a good report from Education Scotland. It acknowledges the strong leadership of the headteacher and the hard work, enthusiasm of staff to provide a positive and high quality learning environment.

"Staff, pupils and the wider school community should be proud of everything they have achieved to date and I am confident that this good work will continue."